2024-2025

Directors and Leadership Team

Katherine Kuckhoff

Co-Director - Columbia ‘25

Katherine began her pre-professional ballet training at Atlanta Academy of Ballet and Dance in Northwest Georgia under the direction of Susan Banks-Beebe. During her time there, she competed in multiple competitions including American Dance Competition and Universal Ballet Competition. In the summer of 2017, Katherine was offered a trainee position with the Philadelphia Ballet, where she trained for the next two years under the guidance of Samantha Dunster and James Payne. In the Spring of 2019, Katherine was offered a second company position with the Nashville Ballet. Katherine’s repertory consists of The Nutcracker, Romeo and Juliet, The Sleeping Beauty, as well as various contemporary works. Katherine is currently pursuing a neuroscience degree and is ecstatic to be able to further her education while continuing to dance here at Columbia.

Elizabeth Hasapis

Co-Director - Columbia ‘25

Elizabeth Hasapis is a Senior in Columbia College double majoring in English and Psychology. She began dancing at age four and later trained pre-professionally at the School of American Ballet (SAB) for ten years before graduating in 2021. Early in Elizabeth’s time at SAB, she performed children’s roles in the New York City Ballet’s productions of The Sleeping Beauty, Coppélia, Harlequinade, Mozartiana, and George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker. Elizabeth later performed in excerpts from The Sleeping Beauty and Balanchine’s La Source as part of SAB’s annual Workshop Performances. In addition to her training at SAB, Elizabeth has attended summer programs at Miami City Ballet, Chautauqua Institution, Pacific Northwest Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, and Boston Ballet. She currently dances with Columbia Repertory Ballet and Columbia Ballet Collaborative.

Tatiana Heintz

Assistant Director - Columbia ‘26
Tatiana began her dance training at Stowe Dance Academy in Stowe, Vermont at age three. During the course of her fifteen years at Stowe Dance Academy, she primarily trained in ballet and contemporary at the pre-professional level. Over the summers, Tatiana had the opportunity to train at Boston Ballet, Alonzo King Lines Ballet, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, and American Ballet Theatre. Tatiana Heintz is now a Junior in Columbia College studying Dance and Economics and has danced with Columbia Repertory Ballet and Columbia Ballet Collaborative.

Alice Liu

Assistant Director - Columbia ‘26
Alice grew up in Princeton, New Jersey where she trained in classical ballet at Princeton Ballet School starting at age 6. In 2018, she began attending St. Paul’s School (NH) where she was a member of the St. Paul’s School Ballet Company (SPSBC). There she trained under the direction of Kate Lydon. In addition to furthering her classical studies, she began choreographing for the SPSBC, premiering four works before her graduation in 2022. Alice attended summer intensives at American Ballet Theatre, the Royal Ballet School, Boston Ballet, and Princeton Ballet School. Alice is now Junior at Columbia University double-majoring in Computer Science and Economics. She is grateful for the opportunity to further her studies both academically and artistically.

Carolina Rivera

Assistant Director - Columbia ‘26
Carolina trained pre-professionally at Greenwich Ballet Academy (GBA) from where she graduated in June 2022. Carolina has performed many leading roles in GBA productions including the Don Quixote Act 3 Pas de deux, the Grand Pas de deux from Le Corsaire, and both the Snow and Sugar Plum Grand Pas in The Nutcracker, with guest partners from American Ballet Theatre and Dance Theatre of Harlem. Carolina competed as a soloist for six years in many prestigious dance competitions receiving multiple top placements and awards, including: a Silver Medal at The Connecticut Classic and Top 12 placements at Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP) and Universal Ballet Competition in both classical and contemporary divisions. In 2021, Carolina placed 1st and 2nd in the Duo category at UBC and YAGP respectively; and in 2022 following top placements, she received an invitation and participated in the YAGP Tampa Finals as part of a duo and a small ensemble. At competitions, Carolina has been awarded scholarships to New York Dance Project and International Ballet Intensive. Carolina attended the Boston Ballet Summer Intensive, Houston Ballet Academy’s Summer Intensive program and Ellison Ballet Summer Intensive program in New York City. Carolina is currently a sophomore in Columbia College and is excited to be joining CRB’s Board of Directors.

Michael Shavelle

Leadership Team - Columbia ‘27
Michael is a sophomore in Columbia College studying English. Originally from Los Angeles, CA, he trained pre-professionally in the Dance Academy at the Colburn School under the direction of Silas Farley. There, he performed principal roles in George Balanchine's Mozartiana and Divertimento No. 15, Jerome Robbins' Goldberg Variations, and Merce Cunningham's Changing Steps, as well as originating new works by Silas Farley. He has attended intensives on scholarship at the School of American Ballet and Pacific Northwest Ballet School, and continues to train on scholarship at the Dance Theatre of Harlem School.

Maria Pia Molina

Leadership Team - Columbia ‘26
Maria Pia grew up in Medellin, Colombia, where she trained ballet pre-professionally at Andrea Wolff Ballet (AWB) under the direction of Andrea Wolff. Throughout the years, she has performed many leading roles in AWB productions, including Kitri in Don Quixote, 3rd Shade in La Bayadere, Aurora in Sleeping Beauty, among others. Pia has also trained pre-professionally with Cuban principal dancers Taras Domitro and Adiarys Almeida privately and at their studio, Hollywood Ballet Academy. She has competed at several ballet competitions, including World Ballet Competition, Miami International Ballet Competition, and ADC IBC, getting top placements on several occasions. Over the years, she has received multiple offers to train and attend summer intensives at Miami City Ballet, Master Ballet Academy, Ballet Austin, Cary Ballet Conservatory, New York Dance Project, Joffrey Ballet, Princeton Ballet, and Orlando Ballet. Currently, Pia is a junior at Columbia College, double majoring in Psychology and Dance.

Advisory Board

Maria Sol Blankemeyer

Advisor, Former Co-Director ‘21-‘22 - Barnard ‘23
Maria Blankemeyer was born in Monterrey, Mexico, where she began her ballet training at the Escuela Superior de Música y Danza de Monterrey. Upon immigrating to the United States in 2011, she continued her training at Ballet Austin and attended summer intensives at Ellison Ballet, Boston Ballet, and Oregon Ballet Theatre. Maria is currently a junior at Barnard studying chemistry.

Maki Ishibashi

Advisor, Former Co-Director ‘21-‘22 - Columbia ‘23
Maki Ishibashi was born in Tokyo, Japan where she began ballet recreationally at the age of three. Upon moving to the United States in 2007, she joined the CityDance School and Conservatory in Rockville, Maryland where she continued her ballet and contemporary training. She has spent her summers at both ballet and contemporary intensives, such as Boston Ballet, Bolshoi Ballet Academy, Gelsey Kirkland Academy of Ballet, Dance Theatre of Harlem, and the Juilliard School of Dance. She is currently a junior at Columbia College majoring in biology and on the pre-med track. She has performed with two student run companies - Columbia Repertory Ballet and Columbia Ballet Collaborative.

Annie Lewandowski

FORMER CO-DIRECTOR (‘22)
Annie Lewandowski is a senior at Columbia College studying Russian and following the Pre-Med track. She has been dancing ballet for most of her life, training at the Ohio Conservatory of Ballet and dancing with the Stabrova Youth Ballet. She has participated in the Bolshoi Ballet’s summer programs in both New York and Russia, and has danced with Columbia Ballet Collaborative and the Columbia Repertory Ballet during her first two years at Columbia.
Sandy Zeng

FORMER CO-DIRECTOR (‘21)
Paige Hinkley

FORMER ASSISTANT DIRECTOR (‘21)